The Art of Crop Planning: Learn These Principles To Maximize Your Harvests

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Planning is the key to maximizing your harvests and achieving gardening success! Join Curtis Stone in this video as he dives into the art of crop planning and shares essential principles that will help you optimize your yields. Watch now and unlock the secrets to planning your crops effectively for a bountiful and successful harvest season!
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About Curtis Stone:
Curtis is one of the world’s most highly sought-after small farming educators. His book, The Urban Farmer, offers a new way to think about farming𑁋 one where quality of life and profitability coexist. Today, Curtis spends most of his time building his 40-acre off-grid homestead in British Columbia. He leverages his relationships with other experts to bring diverse content into the homes of gardeners and aspiring small farmers from around the world. Learn more at FromTheField.TV.
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[@xylemmelyx]

Curtis, you are awesome. Not just for providing this information, but doing so clearly. You're an excellent speaker and teacher. Thank you.

[@dusshan1]

Curtis this is one of the most valuable information you gave to us farmers in their early stage of learning 'how to'. Thank you so much for doing what you are doing!

[@impseeder5756]

Curtis, For DAY TO PLANT. I use a plotter type desk calendar (17" x 22"). Sold in office supply stores. This has two numbers, day total for the year and day total to the end of the year. Jan 1 would show as 1/365. So if I wanted a 62 day tomato ready for the 4th of July, day 185/181...........subtract 62 from 185. This gives me 123. Look back and find 123. May 3rd ....123/243.... is when to plant in the field. May 3rd is two weeks early for me to plant out, so I would warm the soil and protect the transplants.

[@impseeder5756]

sp. blotter

[@numbereight886]

IMP Seeder - Good stuff

[@RM-gy8is]

Ive watched you for years on and off as i'm a disabled veteran and so between treatments etc as I want to lern this and this was the best - slowest, clearly, and actual guidance I could grasp - hard to catch things when it goes that fast so thanks!! My dr has me trying to work some gardening for my PTSD so i'm gonna work to feed some families in need. Anyway - thanks!! You are spot on - you don't know what you don't know and unless someone gives ya good guidance your ODF.

[@RM-gy8is]

Curtis, this was your best video to actually offer actual guidance - Thanks, !!

[@kelleyrn27]

I have been wracking my brain trying to figure this out, and you made it so clear! Thanks so much!

[@ABAdventureChannel]

Thanks again for a great and incredibly useful video Curtis. You rock!

[@Haileambesa]

This calendar is amazing, the curve you are discribing is about the hot hours and the light hours the crop is accumulated, is complex to calculate but give you much precise information. But your calendar is amazing, thanks by share with us

[@Steve-ps6qw]

I had an economics professor that said that about giving a boy a fish, etc. I asked him if that was the same as if you see a man freezing do you light him a fire to keep him warm for the night or do you set him on fire so he stays warm the rest of his life?

[@CarpCommander]

One tip- DTM is a function of accumulated "degree days", which can be calculated from local weather station data. You can then look at average temps over the last 10 years to fairly accurately plan weekly plantings (you could also look at cool or hot years specifically). My question- what effect will high/low tunnels and row cover have? You could answer this question by logging temp data (with pendant loggers like hobo onset) and comparing outside degree day accumulation against the tunnel treatment to then forecast which plantings would require cover. You can download csv data from AG weather stations through WSU's AgWeatherNet (they link to networks in many states).

[@justjoevaught5783]

Seriously Curtis Stone! You are fantastic help and always right when it's needed!

[@blessd24]

Curtis, Thank you for the content you produce! You a great source of information and a great encouragement to me as I start my own farming operation. I appreciate your input and guidance.

[@offgridcurtisstone]

You're welcome Chad. Thanks for saying that.

[@christophercarl1833]

Hi Curtis. I have been watching since last year and feel obliged to say thank you. Fantastic!!!

[@nellie2m]

I sort of knew that it was complicated, but you explain it really clearly, thanks!

[@ianhawkins7387]

I used Shumways garden planner it adjusted for your zone great starter for planning does cost you a subscription but big help starting out, this was a great presentation though we will end up Exel wizards 😃

[@Sgray2014]

Curtis you give me life, and... =A1+7 and copy/past or drag that to bottom of column A in excel after first date to do the weeks automatically.

[@601salsa]

this is awesome. whilst i might not want to get into farming as a job I do want to grow all my own food due to allergies and diet requirements. finding something like this is really helpful! thank you for being amazing, long may you continue doing these vids.

[@MichaelJones-ti9fx]

This works for planning food for home use. Thank you!

[@caseywilson812]

thanks for this video. this is exactly what you said it was. teaching us how to fish. im still reverting back to this video all the time. it is full of valuable info. thanks.

[@Tjimpansen]

Im in the process of establishing an apple farm in Denmark, though im also beginning to think that vegetables could be a good way of getting some cash early on, (because apple trees, when you make them from scratch, takes a while to bear fruit). And your videos are incredibly helpful. Even though it's not about apples, I can use a lot of this stuff. Especially this kind of knowledge, about how you get a good overview of your crops and what to do at what time, and so on. So, Thanks a lot Curtis

[@NoPeeking]

Okay, Curtis. You said this would be a good topic for winter. Well, here we are. Question: You get a new plot. You have to lay it out for bed orientation, slight shading on extreme east/west boundaries at different times of day, and possibly some tree roots on it's northern end. For lengths of beds and maximizing space and ease of work, can you give us three or four examples for advice? Thanks, man. Great videos! .

[@sikamikan]

one of your best videos Curtis, thanks for sharing

[@wightmicrofarms1682]

Really great video Curtis, I have been messing about with a few variations of a sheet that seems far to over complicated. I'm quite new to this on a commercial level, so this helps refine my organisational abilities.

[@interestingyoutubechannel1]

One of the best videos yet, excellent info. In addition to beds/lbs/units etc., can you please show us your methods on excel/numbers for factoring in management practices (tilling/weeding/IPM/etc) during the crop cycle, & other useful spreadsheet that are related?

[@surfdukeflorence]

Excellent teaching Curtis.... Thank you.

[@stephencovey7583]

Just talked to West Coast Seeds, great people! Starting my first urban farm this year. I already have your book! Thanks for creating a great channel!

[@rogueskypilot4116]

How'd it go?

[@debracook328]

I've been planning for my first season for a couple months now. The hardest part to figure out is yield per plant or foot or bed foot....Mostly trying to put planning tools in place so I don't have to spend forever planning in years to come.

[@leeknivek]

it's a little hit or miss, your best bet will probably be to record what you harvest over the years and eventually you can form an average.

[@TheJunkyardgenius]

Great video curtis, your right it can be tedious but if you grow the same things each year you only really have to do it once, slight modifications for weather or the market your selling g can change but we do this and use most of the same info for each year. Our seed catalogues in the UK aren't all forthcoming with dtms only on some salad crops s we spent 2 year figuring these figures out ourselves for what crops we grow.

[@bcmasur]

I'm so HAPPY you're trying to show us that we don't need pen and paper anymore, that's so .. soooo last century and before. However you're doing it and it works for you, three thumbs up. (four? ) I'm for allowing computers to HELP us but don't steal the thunder.?.?.?. sometimes I feel like flipping a coin but when it comes down to eating or starving (eating each other) I'd rather eat a head a lettuce than somebody's head.

[@christophersmith8014]

Thanks for the video, Curtis. Understanding the core concepts of anything is the basis of a good education. Do you have an systematic overview for crop planning? or have you ever made a flow chart of the process? I know the nuances are too numerous to fit in a 1,000 page book, but if you had something akin to it's table of contents I think that would be useful. Other than that just keep things focused and simple; break each category down to it smallest functional element then master it, and teach others how to do the same.

[@bluebluedogbooks]

Thanks for the info. I just grow for my family, but I think this will work for us as well. Am glad you are giving this info now, so I can brush up on my excel while it is cold!

[@Steve-ps6qw]

oh wow, I thought it was the temperature that was the limiting factor on how long it took to grow....but sunlight makes much more sense as that is what all the flora follows as that is consistent where weather isn't.

[@Steve-ps6qw]

This is freaking awesome! I have been asking for something like this on many sites and you have it!!

[@rdkitchengarden4359]

great planning video. Good commons sense. take care

[@brandonfoy9583]

Great info and video thanks so much!

[@M0hawk99]

Thank you so much for this video and the content you make for us!

[@yukey2587]

practical and clear. Thanks so much!

[@edwardgardener746]

Hey Curtis, Thanks that was very helpfull, I guess all need to know now is how to do crop planning for restaurants and what the catch is. A csa is pretty straightforward but what is the clue to doing unpredictable production and what have you learned? Hey I had a really good idea for your farm! You know how you do those fold up hanging greens dryers? I don't get why you don't do the same for your larger root washer? You should make like one side one hinges, and then connect it with a chain so you can turn it 90/100 degrees and its more easy to wash that way. So you can flip it up so to say. If its to heavy you could connect the two legs of the other side with a horisontal cross beam and but some bricks on it. I just saw your video on how to make that table and though I would put one and two togheter. Thanks for the video's its pretty helpfull. Lets say you have a foot in the door with a restaurant. Then what is the next step, what problems did you encounter and how did you deal with it?

[@offgridcurtisstone]

Thanks for the idea. We don't do enough root veg now to justify it. Our washing table works fine for our context. I'll do a video on restaurant planning. That's a good idea.

[@edwardgardener746]

Hi, Also I just bought your book, and I'm reading the part about the crops you grow, and I'm interested what are your bed spacings? For instance carrots and radish is something ill grow very simmilar to you, but I'm just wonderhow long your beds are?

[@Dugsigabeerah]

very useful information, greating from very far rural location in Somali.

[@Talex3003]

Hi Curtis! Can you please make a video talking about crop planning in regard the last and first frost date? for example, my last frost day is mar-23. does that mean that I need to plan backwards my transplants so those will be ready at mar-23? and everything else can be direct seeded starting mar-24? Thank you!

[@ldrake2047]

My husband and I are planning to start a market garden. We are in the research phase at this point. Your videos have been very helpful. Thank you for putting out such great information. I am wondering how a new farmer can determine the unit weights for each vegetable like you have in your chart? Additionally, how can a new farmer determine the yield in pounds or number of products per row? Is there a resource for that? Just trying to figure out how to get started on as sure a footing as possible.

[@theriverschool822]

Love this video! Do you have any special peppers you like to grow? I am looking at trying Jimmy Nardello this year after reading reviews. I'm not even sure if I've seen you mention growing peppers. Are they not profitable enough for you? I know we can only sell mild peppers at our market, since everyone grows the hot peppers and not many people buy them. I would also love a video on booth display at the farmer's market or advertising. I've seen your other farmer's market video, but you didn't talk too much about the display. Thanks for all the great videos.

[@c.s.5177]

congrats on 50000 subscribers!

[@mailani]

This was extremely helpful.

[@bwakel310]

Great stuff!

[@farmerrog7816]

Great info!

[@brutusmaximumus]

8:35 did you just say its a "crop shoot" lol :D

[@chesneyroberts5365]

Great content man... Do you use a special type of poly for the tunnels or can you buy a thick type of plastic at a hardware store for the low tunnels and greenhouses?

[@christopherstaples6758]

any idea how to do the days with google documents spreadsheet ?

[@MrOsiris220]

Can you do this set up the same way as growing hydroponic system

[@gstvmly6629]

Amazing thanks

[@thorrin]

Is there a simple way to convert a number into amount of weeks and days with Apache open office?

[@benbrown1209]

Which formula will get the cells that are my DTM cells to read days and weeks? Like 5w 5d for example so that I can do the auto calculate start date?

[@MicroUrb]

Is the end date the date that these crops are ready for harvest?

[@GroundZer0115]

Could anyone help me out and explain what CSA is?

[@benmartin7324]

This is awesome! Thank you for sharing your knowledge I have been struggling with finding a good system to plan I have been trying but this spreadsheet is very nice, how do i set the customs for the DTM to week conversion on excel ?

[@bcmasur]

The desert here in Tucson, Arizona, United States, Earth is too dry right now, or so THEY say. I... (yeah, me) say "...DO IT INDOORS" because humidity is usually around 2% here this time of year. Watering a plant that is indoors can only lose its moisture to the surrounding environment, your home, which you want the humidity to stay in. Braindead if you think there is any conflict of interest there. Water plants outdoors==water goes to waste/evaporation. Water plants indoors==evaporation goes inside house! You need more of this in your videos, DUDE! ;)

[@maryhysong]

This was great. I know I need to get this done! From here, how do you figure how much to plant? just another set of formulas? I don't have excel, just the MS works version and have a hard time with doing formulas....

[@arlynelauro9872]

Does your chart show how many beds you will need for each crop?

[@terridarcangelo3795]

Hey Curtis! For DTM, what's the impact if you're doing starts and transplanting? Would that be a situation where one should lessen the expected DTM?

[@marioncote-potvin1124]

Curtis, how often do you plant Salanova during the summer? Every week?

[@offgridcurtisstone]

It depends. Sometimes every 3 weeks. Once a week is best though.

[@JohnDrach]

Would you say this is how other farmers who farm say 100 acres use a spreadsheet to keep track of their crops? How did you come to the conclusion that a spreadsheet was the best tool to manage your farm? Also have you found any digital tools out there you can' live without?

[@kellywilson7717]

Thank you for the video! For DTH are you taking into consideration the time for seed germination?

[@offgridcurtisstone]

I do yes, but not sure what other people do.

[@treyb6089]

Great info thank you! Does this feed into another workbook that you would use to plan your crop per plot or succession plantings?

[@mskogly]

Great stuff, thanks. DTM, is it usually for transplants or direct seeding?

[@hitenpadhiar793]

Another great video bud, what spreadsheet software do you use? is that Microsoft office/google docs or something altogether different? cheers in advance

[@justinhydrick4912]

Curtis, what do you do with product that does not sell at the market? Donate? Eat yourself? Try again next week if it still looks ok? Compost? Other? Thanks.

[@offgridcurtisstone]

Yes, all of the above.

[@DarinHibbs1]

CSA....I missed where you defined that TLA (Three Letter Acronym)

[@rodrigopanachao2234]

What is CSA? (lame question i know...)

[@AutumnHorses8]

Hey Curtis! Thanks for another great video! I was just wondering what program you were using, is it excel? Thanks!

[@offgridcurtisstone]

Numbers for Mac.

[@ericdemarco2323]

How does "Beds in the field" factor in or will you cover that later? Thanks for the help.

[@offgridcurtisstone]

Ya, I forgot to mention that. Yes, I'll mention that another time. It's how it all connects to how many beds you plant.

[@jodrodgar7194]

Thanks for another spot on video Curtis. Yes, I was going to ask, how to calculate how much to plant/sow from the total weight cell? I guess this also comes from experience in knowing how productive crops are going to be in your area, on your soil etc. If I want 20 kg of radish on May 1st how many seeds or how long a row do I need to sow? I guess you also need to know if you're going to get a 2nd or 3rd cut - will you need to resow to get succession and/or how long will cut plant take to regrow to harvest. Do the seed packets always refer to DTM as if sown in the ground? For some crops you're probably always going to start them off under cover like zucchini, tomatoes, some beans?

[@90notch16]

This would be a great follow up video.

[@TurnerFamilyFarmsIncTeachey]

Jod, there are a lot of yield charts out there. That helps. I see you used the unit kg so you are probably Canadian so my link may not help you, but, I use yield charts from a guy down here in NC named Joel Gruver. growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms-farmrecords/

[@TurnerFamilyFarmsIncTeachey]

Frankly, the most amazing thing to me about Curtis's video is how good he is at manipulating that spreadsheet. I wish I were that good at it.

[@jozepi1487]

another idea is to grow comfrey. anybody have experience with comfrey as fertilizer/tea/ground cover ect...

[@jozepi1487]

I have studied your book and have an irrigation question (love it for those who have not got it). I want to swale my property and irrigate the swale instead of each bed. do you think shallow root system crops could be irrigated in this method. I have room for at least 240 beds and am not interested in spending the 12g's to set up irrigation. I would appreciate any advice or perspective. PS, my years goal is to build the farm and experiment, so i will know for sure eventually.

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

It depends on how much rainfall you get, when you get it, soil type, slope, humidity & temperature (i.e. evaporation rate), and moisture requirements for what you are growing. I "swaled" my land in TX, but I had to irrigate it during summer heat for most of what I was growing. Over time, I needed less and less irrigation, but the first two years were brutal. BTW - swales are not appropriate in all situations; e.g., I am not putting them in here on my land in WA.

[@jozepi1487]

I'm in upstate with 39 inch rain yearly, spring and stream on my 7 acres. also building 18000 gallon pond within 250 ft of all beds, ability to irrigate swales should not be issue🙏. I really want to grow goods harvested with greens harvester, but want to avoid spending $50 per bed on over head or stop irrigation.

[@interestingyoutubechannel1]

Maybe invest considerably in organic matter applications, & you should see better water retention/efficiency. You'll additionally see improving soil structure, aeration, drainage, bio-remediation. Another idea - google something like 'cheap drip irrigation' and you'll find some DIY systems that are about a 5th of the standard cost.

[@jozepi1487]

I thought capturing as much water as possible to do with what you please or need is always desiriable.

[@josephholloway3130]

First off, a swale sounds like a pretty cheap way to water your plants. It sounds like you have a huge plot of land you want to farm. If you can afford to do a smaller section. Have you thought of doing test beds? Plan out using this method and instead of lets say 6 X 100 foot beds. You just do one or 2 X 50 foot beds at the highest elevations. It should be easy enough to extend the beds out. Plus remember to be mindful of the grades for your beds and how you get to them. Have you looked into marsh land laws in your area? Or what kind of animals and insects you will attract? Great idea though. I'm in Germany and have no clue about all the local laws and what kind of insect i'm allowed to attract or purchase.

[@platficker]

You didn't fill in the "Beds in the field" column.

[@ericaaube3544]

Are you using Excel? If yes, I am not understanding how your DTM cell "40d" converted to "xweeks and x days." Is this a special function you set up?

[@offgridcurtisstone]

I use Numbers for Mac. No special function at all. I'm low level spreadsheet user.

[@biromatya1148]

Just type the number of days as a simple number, like "40" ina cell then deduct it from the date.

[@bcmasur]

grow indoors 24/7/365 with LED lighting off your solar panels... spreadsheets are pretty universal whether you're using mickey$oft office, openoffice or libreoffice (or other *spreadsheet*) so seasonal ideals/timing shouldn't be relevant for this so leave that out. What I'm trying to say is that spreadsheets, computers, etc. are GREAT for helping you figure out what you're *trying* to do, but better. ADD is a PITA so I probably tried to squeeze a million ideas into a few sentences. Have fun and grow food *everywhere*

[@phan4lf]

Curtis, what is a good way to contact you concerning a consultation? New house, new land, 2.75 acres 💸👍🍻

[@offgridcurtisstone]

Message me through my website theurbanfarmer.co

[@bwakel310]

Do you use excel?

[@offgridcurtisstone]

+bwakel310 Numbers.

[@lodzhd6332]

13:32 not in italy ahahah

[@MicroUrb]

I am actually working on a React-Rails application that is based on your crop production spreadsheet above. I just started working on it today. You can view the source code here: github.com/ldco2016/CropProgress

[@thomaswestbrook591]

Why use excel when you can use an online web tool like blackdirt.org that can track most of this information much faster. Spreadsheets take way too much time to plan correctly. Technology like Black Dirt is what farmers need to stay productive and plan correctly. My farm is testing this system out right now as the site is offering a free trial while they are in beta mode. So far, I am very impressed with what I have seen!

[@garrett1086]

Thomas Westbrook numbers comes with most apple products that I'm aware of and it's free. No fees involved.

[@abideenturky]

This information was irrelevant to non Comercial, backyard farmers, As backyardFarmer , I find very hard to get pure, organic compost to revive my raised beds, All crappie stuff thy sell in local depots ,in the name of potting soil, are nothing but toxic waste from landfills, Any solution?

[@TheEronious]

jaw. drop. :D

[@ambrusboth672]

You can teach a man to fish, but you cannot teach a fish to man.

[@donrad]

OK, fine. But not basic enough. A BASIC should be one time period, one crop. Just one. And first explaining how a spreadsheet works. And what spreadsheet is being used. Basic for you is advanced for everyone else. I love you for your passion, but we need to get down. Deeper down and work our way up. There is lots of time. We have the whole winter. It is crucial to the success of the growing season that this planning stage be done skilfully. This may appear to be a criticism, but it is not. It is just a suggestion.

[@bcmasur]

dude just go completely indoor vertical farm, factory-style. LED. 5:1. seal it off, no need for bugs, 5% water needed...

[@bcmasur]

no field, no direct sunlight, solar panels and electronics/LEDs convert light into the correct spectrum the plants need, but what do *I* know... if all you know is how to plant stuff in the middle of nowhere(like your front yard...)

[@energymaven]

Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he destroys the ecosystem.

[@offgridcurtisstone]

+energymaven not really. How do you eat? Just breath?

[@energymaven]

Urban Farmer Curtis Stone It was meant as a joke but it is true as it pertains to fishing. We are vacuuming the oceans.

[@JimPeckham]

+energyman ... Maybe your vocation is marine aquaponics ? I'm doing my bit for freshwater crayfish ... just saying ;-P

[@offgridcurtisstone]

Ok, i get it. It's so hard to hear context or sarcasm in type. ;) I do appreciate jokes and sarcasm too.

[@energymaven]

I should have known better. Awesome channel. Love your work and have "shared" you with hundreds of folks. Bought your book but gave it away and will order another asap. Hoping to send a friend to one of your workshops. If I were young again, I'd be right there with him...